Happy Solstice and Holidays!

Sunday was the longest night of the year. Today and this week is a fresh start, a new cycle around the sun. So we begin with gratitude for YOU, our incredible supporters, volunteers, donors and community partners. Because of you, we have increased our impact and our capacity to create more and bigger ripples for 13 straight years.

In 2014, we educated and engaged 5,557 citizens and leaders through 104 workshops, tours, presentations, installations and events. With the 1,926 local Community Resilience Challenge (CRC) participants that’s a whopping 7,483 people inspired and taking action! To add further whopping-ness, we doubled the number of local CRC actions and projects, while supporting regional and national partners to do the same.

Your heart-filled donation will put vital sustainability solutions in more hearts, hands and communities. As with our daily actions, every dollar makes a difference!

This morning as I sat in the garden in the dark by candlelight with my feet on the moist earth, I could feel the freshness of a new day, season and cycle. Every winter solstice I take a pause for a personal retreat. It’s a chance to soak in hot springs, write and reflect on how I’ve spent the precious minutes hours and days of the last year, realigning with my purpose, vision, roles and goals. There’s something deeply comforting and meditative about combing over the year’s activities, while observing the whole. It brings a clarity of perspective, uncovers new insights, refreshes long-standing commitments and provides ample opportunity to compassionately observe where I’ve fallen short. A decade into this practice, there’s a rich and peaceful sense of where I’m at on my path, how I’ve gotten here and where I’m headed.

Though as David Whyte writes, finding our north star doesn’t excuse us from the challenging work of following it. It’s the ongoing process of asking the big questions in life and then figuring how to live up to the answers that come. Because when we do, we bring our full inspiration and gifts to all that needs healing in our lives and world.

We know we’re facing increasing climate disruption, resource depletion and heartbreaking injustice and this only affirms our commitment to building resilience from the inside out. How we transform our communities into more healthy, just and locally self-reliant places is by transforming our selves – through inspired action that reconnects us to our power in ways that care for our people and planet.

The Daily Acts team has also been retreating, reflecting and visioning and we are more inspired than ever to grow an unstoppable movement of people like YOU. You, who are creating and spreading sustainability models at home, in your gardens and neighborhoods, and at schools, businesses, churches and public places. To do this, we need you living and giving your best.

As you enjoy the holidays and connect with loved ones, take time to reflect upon and celebrate where you’ve been, where you are and how you can and will more fully live your vision in the year to come. What were your most inspiring, empowering experiences this year? Where did you feel your greatest sense of connection and contribution? What one thing, if done or not done, would have the greatest impact on helping you live your inspiration and consistently contribute your best?

Recently, after a presentation I gave for the Leadership Institute, I was struck by the number of people who expressed wanting to step more fully into their voice and power and of needing to practice better self care to sustain in this vital work. In a note from the Leadership Institute afterwards, Gwen wrote “It is inspiring to see the scale of change that results when rightly motivated individual acts ripple out…and out…and out. It’s a message of hope and a bolstering of courage that are so crucial now.”

If you believe in our message, have been empowered by our work or gained skills, knowledge or new connections, help us spread these ripples by donating today.

Thank you for your daily actions and your support of our daily actions. I and we feel so blessed to have you in our community of inspired change makers taking heart and taking action day after day, year after year.